Ammunition



Patented ct. Ti, 1937 1| TKON Watson H. M ord and Willi Bron,Bridgeport,

Conn, assignors to Remington 5 Company, line, a corporation of DelawareNo Drawing. Application December 4, 1934, serial No. 155,916

9 Clo.

This invention relates to metallic alloys of unusual properties and toparticular uses of such alloys. The characteristic property of saidalloys is stability at ordinary temperatures and capacity for rapidoxidation at elevated temperatures, and

use is made of this property in compositions designed for the ignitionof propellant powders and detonators.

Priming compositions for ammunition ordinarily include a percussionsensitive combustion initiator, an oxidizer, and a fuel. Reactionbetween the oxidizer and fuel is initiated by the decomposition of thepercussion sensitive ingredient and results in a flame of sumcientduration and heat to properly ignite propellant powder. In thedetonation of disruptive charges a detonating material such as leadazide is used, this material being sometimes ignited by an ignitercomposition comprising an oxidizer and a fuel.

For the purpose of this application, both ammunition priming charges anddetonator igniters will be identified as igniter compositions", and theterm alloys will be used as defining broadly any mixture of difi'erentmetals in any proportions.

the combustion initiator.

Many different alloys have been found to be suitable. Generally stated,the metals forming such alloys are iron, antimony, arsenic, aluminum,bismuth, cerium, cobalt, copper, manganese, nickel, phosphorus, silicon,tin and zinc. Prominent among this group is antimony. Binary alloys ofantimony with varying proportions of iron, aluminum, arsenic, bismuth,cobalt, copper and nickel, form excellent fuels. Antimony, however, is'not an essential or necessarily characteristic ingredient.

Alloys of iron with manganese, phosphorus and silicon, are suitable;likewise, alloys of silicon and man'- ganese, copper and bismuth, andaluminum and manganese.

The foregoing examples are typical binary alloys usable as ignitercomposition fuels. The invention, however, is not limited to binaryalloys. Desirable variations in the properties of binary alloys, as wellas alloys possessing distinctive and desirable properties, are formed byadmixtures of three or more of the above-mentioned metals. Thus, cerium,manganese, sili- 5 con, phosphorus, nickel, tin and, zinc, in varyingamounts, may be introduced into an alloy of antimony and iron. Theproportions of the metals may vary widely, and if iron is present itscarbon content may vary. 10

Among the alloys suitable for use in igniter compositions are thefollowing:

Binary alloys Percent Percent Antimony 50 Iron; 50 Antimony 70 Iron Iron80 Manganese- 20 Copper 20 Bismuth 80 .Nickel 50 Antimony" 50 Aluminum80 Antimony 20 Copper 50 Antimony 50 ron 80 Phosphorus 20 Silicon 50Manganese 50 20 Cobalt Antimony 50 Ternary alloys: I

Percent Percent Percent Iron Manganese" 20 Antimony 40 Manganese 35 iconAntimony 55 Iron 33 Nickel 33 Antimonyiu 33 Iron 50 Antimony luminum 525 Iron Tin 25, Antimony 25 The foregoing examples are merely typical ofthe very numerous alloys which have been found to possess desirable fuelproperties. The proportions given are merely illustrative, and are 30not to be taken as limiting the scope of the invention. In general,alloys containing iron are hardened by the presence of silicon. Incertain ammunition primers hardness is a desirable property, since itenables the elimination of an inert abrasive, such as powdered glass.The abrasiveness of the alloys is controlled not only by their hardnessbut by their granulation, the finer granulations, say over 200 mesh,being less abrasive 40 but more sensitive to percussion, whilegranulations from. 100 to 200 mesh are more abrasive. Glass, however,may be retained where the alloy does not possess suflicient abrasivenessbut is otherwise desirable. 1

The use of such alloys in igniter compositions and particularly inammunition priming mixtures has been found to be beneficial in severaldifierent ways. In many mixtures the amount of explosive ingredient canbe very materially reduced without any reduction in sensitiveness orpriming capacity. Substantial reductions in maximum pressures have beensecured with no detriment to muzzle velocity or barrel time. Due to thehigh gravimetric density of the alloys as Per cent Guanylnitrosaminoguamltetrazene tetrazene) 3 Lead styphnate 27 Lead nitrate 40 Alloy:

Iron 30% 3o Antimony 70% ""f Other typical priming compositionsutilizing a metallic alloy fuel comprise 10% to about 60% of acombustion initiator, such as lead styphnate with a small admixture oftetrazene; 25% to 50% of an oxidizer, such as lead nitrate or a mixtureof barium nitrate and lead peroxide; and 5% to 50% of such an alloy asiron-antimony, nickel-antimony, copper-bismuth, iron-tin-antimony,iron-nickel-antimony. An abrasive, such as glass, is sometimesdesirable. These compositions, however, are mentioned by way ofillustration only. Tetrazene and/or lead styphnate may be replacedwholly or in part by any other known sensitizer and/or initialexplosive. Among such sensitizers and initial explosives may bementioned mercury fulminate, basic lead styphnate, diazodinitrophenol,lead dinitrophenyl azide, mono-basic and di-basic lead picrate, normaland basic lead azide, lead methylene di-isonitroamine,

the salts of tetrazene, the derivatives of tetrazole and their salts,such as lead azo tetrazole and the lead and copper ammonium salts ofdiazo-aminotetrazole, lead hypophosphite, the lead salts of dinitrosalicylic acid, the lead salts of diand tri-nitro benzol, leaddinitro-ortho-cresylates, and

position fuels, the appended claims are to be broadly construed.

What is claimed is:

1. An igniter composition comprising an alloy of iron with a metalselected from the group consisting of antimony, aluminum, manganese,phosphorus, tin and zinc.

2. An igniter composition comprising an alloy of antimony with a metalselected from the group consisting of aluminum, arsenic, bismuth,cobalt, copper, iron and nickel.

3. An igniter composition comprising an alloy of antimony and iron.

4. An igniter composition comprising an alloy of antimony and iron inthe proportions of 25 to 50% antimony and 75% to 50% iron.

5. An ammunition priming composition comprising a combustion initiator.an oxidizer, and a fuel including an alloy of antimony and iron.

6. An ammunition priming composition comprisingguanylnitrosaminoguanyltetrazene, lead styphnate, an oxidizer, and ametallic alloy selected from the group of alloys consisting ofantimony-iron, antimony-aluminum, antimonyarsenic, antimony-bismuth,antimony-cobalt, antimony-copper, antimony-nickel, iron-manganese,iron-phosphorus, silicon-manganese, copper-bismuth, aluminum-manganese,antimonymanganese iron, antimony manganese silicon,antimony-iron-nickel, antimony-iron-aluminum, antimony-iron-tin,antimony-iron-cerium, antlmony-iron-silicon, antimony-iron-phosphorus,and antimony-iron-zinc.

7. An ammunition priming composition comprisingguanylnitrosaminoguanyltetrazene, lead styphnate, an oxidizer, and analloy of antimony and iron.

8. An ammunition priming composition comprisingguanylnitrosaminoguanyltetrazene, lead styphnate, an oxidizing nitrate,and an alloy of antimony and iron.

9. An igniter composition comprising an alloy selected from the group ofalloys consisting of antimony-iron, antimony-aluminum, antimonyarsenic,antimony-bismuth, antimony-cobalt, antimony-copper, antimony-nickel,iron-manganese, iron-phosphorus, silicon-manganese, copper-bismuth,aluminum-manganese, antimonymanganese-iron, antimony-manganese-silicon,antimony-iron-nickel, antimony-iron-aluminum, antimony-iron-tin,antimony-iron-cerium, antimony-iron-silicon, antimony-iron-phosphorus,and antimony-iron-zinc.

WATSON H. WOODFORD. WILLI BRUN.

